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CAN MAKING MAGHINE. No. 491,015. Patented Jan. 31, 1893.

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Patented Jan: 31, 1893.

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R GREGG CAN MAKING MACHINE.-

No 491,015. Patented Jan. 31, 1893.

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R. GREGG. CAN MAKING MAGHINE.

No. 491,015. Patented Jan. 31, 1893.

Fig 5 Hi4; Stream my UNITE STATES PATENT OFFI E.

ROBERT GREGG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FAIRBANK CANNING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAN-MAKING MACHINE.

{SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,015, dated January 31, 1893.

Application filed December 15, 1891. Renewed December 13, 1892- Serial No. 455,008. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT GREGG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Making Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the manufacture of sheet metal cans, and particularly to the manufacture of cans of the kind having a side seam formed by interlocking edges and secured by solder, and in which the body of the can is given a peculiar configuration.

The object of the present invention is to produce a machine whereby the side seam of a sheet-metal can may be pressed to secure the parts firmly together; furthermore, to produce a machine whereby any desired configuration may be given the body of the can; furthermore, to produce a machine, whereby the side seam of a sheet metal can may be pressed to secure the parts firmly together, and, by the same movement of the parts of the machine, any desired configuration be given the body of the can, thus obviating necessity for any manipulation of the body by hand or otherwise to give it the desired form.

With these objects in View, the invention consists essentially in a reciprocating-frame, provided at its operative end with a blade or reduced portion of approximately the width of the seam of the can-body and having attached to it a block, there being a fixed block attached to the body or stationary frame of the machine, provided with a blade or reduced portion corresponding to that on the reciprocating portion,the exterior of the blocks being of a form corresponding to the shape to and lower blocks constituting the mandrel with grooves, and the blades; Fig. 5-is a view showing the can body before being introduced into the machine, and Fig. 6-is a View showing the can body after being acted upon by the machine.

In .the drawings, A represents the main driving-shaft of the machine which is provided with a crank-bend a, at a point near its center, to which crank-bend is attached,- in any suitable way, the reciprocating frame B.

Adjacent to the end of the shaft A is the pulley-wheel C and interposed between the shaft of the wheel C, and the shaft A is a clutch O operated by a rod 0, extending to the bottom of the machine or to any other suitable place to be reached by the hand or foot of the operator.

The mechanism by which a reciprocating motion is imparted to the frame B, and the means by which the motion is governed need not be here described in detail as it forms no part of the present invention, being substantially the same as that employed in stamp presses.

Connecting the frame B and the crank-bearing, is a right and left hand threaded rod B carrying a rigid collar J and movable in the collar J the object of which rod is to lengthen or shorten the downward movement of the frame B, the collar J serving as a bindingnut to hold the said rod at any desired adj ustment.

Attached to the frame B which is designed to slide up and down in suitable guide-ways L in the frame of the machine, is a block D, forming a hammer, provided on its lower face with a removable blade (1, preferably springseated and held in position against longitudinal movement by pins; the pins being designated by d and a suitable form of spring by 01 In order to prevent the blade (1 from dropping out when the frame is reciprocated, and at the same time permit of its having vertical play, a transverse pin d is employed which passes through avertical slot d in the blade, asclearly seen in Fig. 3. The lower face of the blade 61 is preferably inclined or has'an olfset for the purpose hereinafter explained.

E represents a yoke preferably of metal and of proportions which will insure its rigidity. This yoke is formed with the reciprocating frame or is securely fastened thereto and the frame and yoke may be vertically adjusted by means of a set screw K, a binding-nut M, serving to hold the said parts in their adj ustcd position.

Formed with or attached to the yoke E is a block F which projects from the yoke a distance corresponding to the length of the canbody upon which the machine is to be used, and this block is of a form corresponding to the shape to be assumed by one portion of the finished can-body.

Permanently attached to the frame of the machine by means of a rod or bar H is a block G, which projects through the yoke E when the parts of the machine are agrouped. The outer end of this block is flush with that of the block F. y

In the upper face of the block G is a blade g, flat on its upper face and of about the same size as the blade 01 in the block D, and beside it, in the upper surface of the block G, running the entire length of the blade, is agroove 9 The blade may be spring-seated, if ,desired, and held by pins, as shownat g and g Near its rear end,-the block G has a pin or stop 9 The two blades are placed in line with each other except as to the depending edge of the upper blade, so'that a body placed between them will receive pressure from both sides fora space equal to the widths of the blades, as the reciprocating frame descends; but the depending edge of the blade (I will press the metal of the can-body next to the seaminto the groove in block G, forming a groove here in the can-body for solder.

The blocks F and G, together constitute a mandrel and. are each provided with a fiat side, in order to form a can-body with a flat side adapting it to be strapped to a person and remain in a comparatively stationary position.

, WVhile one particular form of mandrel is herein shown, it will, of course, be understood that I do not limit myself in this respect, as the invention contemplates the utilization of blocks of any form for giving anydesired shape to the can-body.

In the operation of the maohine,acan'-body h avinginterlocking hooks on its meeting faces, asshown in Fig. 3, ofthe drawings, is pushed upon the'mandrel until stopped by the pin 9 and, by the hand of the operator, the interlocking edges of the body are brought to a positionbetween the blades cl and g. When the can-body is thus properly placed inthe machine, the clutch C is operated by the rod 0 connecting the shaftA with the driving wheel 0, and, the parts being so constructed that one complete revolution is given the shaft A, the frame B descends carrying with it the block D, the loop E, and the block F. This movement will bring the blades together and press the interlocking edges of the body closely together, the offset or upper edge 01' ledge of the bladed coming upon the extreme edge of the superimposed part and pressing it down and the lower or depending edge pressing the metal into the groove in the block, grooving the metal. Simultaneously with this action, the block F carried by the yoke E descends, and draws down the material of the can, causing it to conform to the shape of the exteriors of the blocks F and G.

The mechanism herein described may be controlled by a brake I operating in a wheel I fixed upon the main shaft A.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for use in making sheet metal cans, a frame capable. of reciprocating movement and having a blade on its lower face, a block connected to the reciprocating frame, a stationary block connected with the frame of the machine, and provided with a blade on its upper face, both blocks constituting a mandrel having a configuration corresponding to the shape to be assumed by the completed can, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for use in making sheetmetal cans, a frame capable of a reciprocating movement having a blade at its lower end, a yoke depending from the reciprocating frame having a block attached to it, and a stationary block attached to the frame of the machine projecting into the yoke, the stationary block being provided with a blade corresponding to that on the block carried by the reciprocating frame, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for use in making sheet metal cans, a frame capable of a reciprocating movement, a block secured to the frame, and

ROBERT GREGG.

' Witnesses:

S. H. MOLAUGI-ILIN, THOMAS I. KooP. 

